Surprise: Many People Prefer AI Audiobooks, New Study Finds

A new Edison Research at SSRS study commissioned by Spoken, an AI audiobook company, revealed that the company’s multi-voice productions achieved a higher favorability rating than human-narrated productions. “There’s opinions good and bad for AI among the American consumer, right, so we wanted to just purely get the reaction,” Edison Research vice president Megan Lazovick said. “That was what was really fascinating, was the response that people were open to AI and thought it enhanced their experience.”

Source: Surprise: Many People Prefer AI Audiobooks, New Study Finds

Australia establishes AI office and vows to protect creatives from copyright ‘theft’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised “the strongest possible protection” for Australian creatives against misuse of their work by artificial intelligence models, warning it would be “theft” if writers, artists and musicians didn’t have control of their work or receive payment for its use. “Let me make this crystal clear: not everything produced in Australia is up for grabs,” Albanese said on Wednesday. “Australian writers, musicians, artists and journalists must retain ownership and control of their work. Our laws will spell that out, plain as day.”

Source: Australia establishes AI office and vows to protect creatives from copyright ‘theft’

Band Wakes Up to Find AI Has Stolen 94% of Their Spotify Royalties

Musician Owen Lyman-Schmidt found out that his work had been stolen when a longtime fan of his band, Makeshift Hammer, messaged him to let him know an album on Spotify sounded as if someone had taken his music and “distorted it a bit.” They sent a link to an album called Blue Road by an artist named Carey Dupont. “I had never heard of Carey Dupont,” Lyman-Schmidt wrote. “Dupont had no other releases that I could find and was seemingly otherwise unknown to the internet.”

Source: Band Wakes Up to Find AI Has Stolen 94% of Their Spotify Royalties 

From Pillow Talk to Court Talk: Meta’s Adult Content Copyright Mess

The case, which alleges that Meta systematically pirated thousands of adult movies using BitTorrent to feed its AI models, offers critical insights into how courts are handling tech giants’ efforts to dodge AI-related copyright liabilities at the early pleading stage. According to the lawsuit, Strike 3 traced 47 distinct IP addresses directly belonging to Meta’s corporate network. Between 2018 and 2025, these IP addresses were allegedly used to torrent nearly 2,400 of Strike 3’s films over 6,000 times.

Source: From Pillow Talk to Court Talk: Meta’s Adult Content Copyright Mess

Streaming accelerates nostalgia-driven catalog discovery, says Vevo study

Streaming is accelerating how audiences discover and revisit nostalgic content, according to a new study from Vevo. Vevo‘s report finds that music videos trigger nostalgia more than any other music format. It also finds that 65% of Gen Z feel nostalgic for eras they were never alive to experience, something Vevo calls “borrowed nostalgia.”

Source: Streaming accelerates nostalgia-driven catalog discovery, says Vevo study

Artificial Intelligence Is Rewriting the Rules of Art Valuation

The use of artificial intelligence in the art world has been touted for its supposed ability to spot fakes and authenticate works by Old Masters, identify which emerging artists will become the next superstars and even create artworks without human involvement. It’s all very space age and largely niche. But behind the scenes in a rapidly changing art market, A.I. is already playing a significant role in price setting.

Source: Artificial Intelligence Is Rewriting the Rules of Art Valuation

CRB proposes extending physical and download mechanical rates through 2032

Phonorecords V is the latest installment in a five-yearly cycle in which the Board sets the statutory mechanical rate under Section 115 of the US Copyright Act – the royalty owed each time a song is reproduced and distributed, from a vinyl pressing to a download. The settlement was filed on June 29 by the three major record companies, indie labels, and the industry’s main publisher and songwriter bodies.

Source: CRB proposes extending physical and download mechanical rates through 2032

Meta ditches Muse Image AI feature because it ‘misses the mark’ on users’ privacy

Meta has said ⁠it is discontinuing an AI feature launched this week that allowed users to generate images using public Instagram ⁠accounts, after drawing widespread ⁠criticism over ​privacy concerns, including from a Hollywood union. “We’ve heard the feedback that ⁠this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available,” it said. The feature, integrated into its Meta ‌AI chatbot, can use photos as input and lets users edit generated images directly through sketches.

Source: Meta ditches Muse Image AI feature because it ‘misses the mark’ on users’ privacy

AI companies want to water down Australia’s copyright laws.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is expected to deliver a major speech on Wednesday about the government’s plans for regulating and capitalising on the nascent technology. After abandoning the former industry minister Ed Husic’s vision for a dedicated AI act in favour of a hands-off approach to regulation, the government is reportedly set to pivot back to a more interventionist strategy.

Source: AI companies want to water down Australia’s copyright laws.

Record Companies Push to Label AI Songs on Streaming Platforms

A coalition of record-label and artist groups is pushing streaming giants to label music generated with artificial intelligence, as the industry grapples with how AI is changing the business. The group said it plans to work with streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music to add labels on tracks indicating when AI was used to produce them. AI usage is flagged voluntarily by artists, record labels and distributors.

Source: Record Companies Push to Label AI Songs on Streaming Platforms

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